Christ the wood of life; early murmuring pardoned; fire at Taberah
Christ, who both has been said and is wood of life. And he himself also said somewhere in evangelical writings: ‘If in the moist wood they did these things, in the dry what will they do?’ naming himself a moist and well-flowering wood. And a wood is shown to divine Moses from beside God. For the Father alone reveals the Son, since he alone also knows him. ‘For no one knows who the Son is, except the Father.’ Therefore in Christ the wood of life, the bitter things are sweet, the hard-to-bear are bearable, and the things that in their own nature are accustomed to corrupt become necessary unto life.
Palladius: In what manner do you say?
Cyril: If indeed it is true that the toils, being very bitter, corrupt the body, yet make the soul a sharer of the eternal life (and Paul also said somewhere: ‘When I am weak, then I am powerful.’ And again: ‘For if our outer human is being corrupted, yet the inner is being renewed day by day’)—who would ever choose to endure through toils so sharp, unless having the sweet hope that is in Christ?
Palladius: No one would, I think, altogether.
Cyril: See therefore already (for it is necessary for us, Palladius, to go toward remembrance of the things at the beginnings) Israel having thirsted in a desert, and murmuring against all-wise Moses, yet having fallen into this smallness of soul without penalty; for he did not pay justice, nor undergo the things from anger, although God is accustomed to chastise those condemned upon this. For in the beginnings the one still in the trainings for virtue is sometimes even pitied when stumbling; yet after this he has the too-great smallness of soul unpardoned, and the unbridled running-away which he might make perhaps into out-of-place desires. And indeed in Numbers concerning the sons of Israel the sacred Letter said again somewhere: ‘And they set out from the mountain of the Lord a way of three days, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant was going before them a way of three days to reconnoiter a rest for them. And it came to be in the lifting of the ark, and Moses said: Rise up, Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, let all who hate you flee. And in the resting he said: Return, Lord, thousands of myriads in Israel; and the cloud came to be overshadowing upon them by day, in their setting out from the camp; and the people was murmuring evil things opposite the Lord; and the Lord heard, and was wroth in anger, and fire was kindled among them from beside the Lord, and it consumed a certain part of the camp, and the people cried out toward Moses. And Moses prayed toward the Lord, and the fire ceased. And the name of that place was called Burning; because fire was kindled among them from beside the Lord.’ And after this again: ‘And setting out from Or of the mountain a way upon the Red Sea, they circled the land of Edom; and the people grew faint-souled on the way. And the
Greek
Χριστὸς, ὃς εἴρηταί τε καὶ ἔστι ξύλον ζωῆς. Ἔφη δέ που καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν εὐαγγελικοῖς συγγράμμασιν· «Εἰ ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ ξύλῳ ταῦτα ἔδρασαν, ἐν τῷ ξηρῷ τί δράσουσιν;» ὑγρόν τε καὶ εὐανθὲς ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζων ξύλον. Δείκνυται δὲ τῷ θεσπεσίῳ Μωσῇ παρὰ Θεοῦ ξύλον. Ἀποκαλύπτει γὰρ μόνος τὸν Υἱὸν ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐπεὶ καὶ μόνος οἶδεν αὐτόν. «Οὐδεὶς γὰρ οἶδε τίς ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς, εἰ μὴ Πατήρ.» Οὐκοῦν ἐν Χριστῷ τῷ τῆς ζωῆς ξύλῳ, γλυκέα μὲν τὰ πικρὰ, φορητὰ δὲ τὰ δύσοιστα, καὶ εἰς ζωὴν ἀναγκαῖα τὰ ὡς ἐν ἰδίᾳ φύσει καταφθείρειν εἰωθότα.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Τίνα φῂς τρόπον;
{ΚΥΡ.} Εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἀληθὲς, ὅτι τὸ μὲν σῶμα πικροὶ λίαν ὄντες καταφθείρουσιν οἱ πόνοι, ζωῆς δὲ τῆς αἰωνίου μέτοχον ἀποτελοῦσι ψυχὴν (ἔφη δή που καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· «Ὅταν ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος φθείρεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινοῦται ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ»)· τίς δ' ἂν ἕλοιτό ποτε τοὺς ὧδε δριμεῖς ἀνατλῆναι πόνους, μὴ οὐχὶ γλυκεῖαν ἔχων ἐλπίδα τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ;
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οὐδεὶς ἂν, οἶμαι, παντελῶς.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ὅρα δὴ οὖν (ἰέναι γὰρ δὴ πρὸς ἀνάμνησιν τῶν ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν, ὦ Παλλάδιε) δεδιψηκότα μὲν ἐν ἐρήμῳ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τοῦ πανσόφου Μωσέως καταγογγύζοντα, νηποινί γε μὴν εἰς τοῦτο πεσόντα μικροψυχίας· οὐ γὰρ ἐκτέτικε δίκας, οὐδὲ ὑπέστη τὰ ἐξ ὀργῆς, καίτοι κολάζειν εἰωθότος Θεοῦ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷδε κατεγνωσμένους. Ἐλεεῖται γὰρ ἐν ἀρχαῖς ὁ ἐν γυμνάσμασιν ἔτι τοῖς ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ πταίων· ἀσύγγνωστον δὲ μετὰ τοῦτο τὴν ἄγαν ἔχει μικροψυχίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀχάλινον ἀποδρομὴν, ἢν ἂν ποιοῖτο τυχὸν εἰς ἐκτόπους ἐπιθυμίας. Καὶ γοῦν ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς περὶ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἔφη που πάλιν τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερόν· «Καὶ ἐξῆραν ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους Κυρίου ὁδὸν τριῶν ἡμερῶν, καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης Κυρίου προεπορεύετο προτέρα αὐτῶν ὁδὸν τριῶν ἡμερῶν κατασκέψασθαι αὐτοῖς ἀνάπαυσιν. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἐξαίρειν τὴν κιβωτὸν, καὶ εἶπε Μωσῆς· Ἐξεγέρθητι, Κύριε, καὶ διασκορπισθήτωσαν οἱ ἐχθροί σου, φυγέτωσαν πάντες οἱ μισοῦντές σε. Καὶ ἐν τῇ καταπαύσει εἶπεν· Ἐπίστρεφε, Κύριε, χιλιάδας μυριάδας ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἡ νεφέλη ἐγένετο σκιάζουσα ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἡμέρας, ἐν τῷ ἐξαίρειν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς· καὶ ἦν ὁ λαὸς γογγύζων πονηρὰ ἔναντι Κυρίου· καὶ ἤκουσε Κύριος, καὶ ἐθυμώθη ὀργῇ, καὶ ἐξεκαύθη ἐν αὐτοῖς πῦρ παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ κατέφαγε μέρος τι τῆς παρεμβολῆς, καὶ ἐκέκραξεν ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Μωσῆν. Καὶ ηὔξατο Μωσῆς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐκόπασε τὸ πῦρ. Καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου, Ἐμπυρισμός· ὅτι ἐξεκαύθη ἐν αὐτοῖς πῦρ παρὰ Κυρίου.» Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο πάλιν· «Καὶ ἐξάραντες ἐξ Ὣρ τοῦ ὄρους ὁδὸν ἐπὶ θάλασσαν Ἐρυθρὰν, περιεκύκλωσαν τὴν γῆν Ἐδώμ· καὶ ὠλιγοψύχησεν ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ. Καὶ κατελάλει ὁ
About this text
Cyril continues the dialogue with Palladius. Book 5 of a seventeen-book dialogue — not the whole work.
English follows Migne PG 68 (Aubert reprint). The PDF and a cleaned text of the same print were checked against each other. This page is Book 5 of seventeen. This is a reading translation for study, not a new critical edition of the Greek.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Migne PG 68 De adoratione Book 5 (Aubert reprint) (Greek · Book 5)
- Checked print PDF of PG 68 De adoratione (Greek · Book 5)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.